If you are reading this thanks for checking up on me but I'm not setting off on my travels until tomorrow. So just watch this site for updates.

written by  Arthur Crabtree on January 20, 2010 from Fleetwood, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: Arthur Crabtree's Travel Blog
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It was my mum's birthday last Monday so we went out for nice meal in a steakhouse. I think i ate about 28oz of meat (steak and half a rack of ribs). A few hours later i was definitely regretting putting my jeans in the wash, as it was a bit tight around my belly. We bought mum a new flat screen tv for her birthday. Mainly due to the fact that she has been asking for it for over 2yrs now and also so i can get a new camera as mine is definitely on its last legs.

Yesterday we nearly had a foot of snow as you can see from the pictures. It took about an hour to clear the driveway. We were pretty lucky as a few Miles away there was about 23inches of snow.

Today George had a music recital, so the family went to watch. He was actually pretty good. I've uploaded a video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opHp9UKCy74 (To gran: ask maggie to help you).
That is pretty much all i've done.

P.S. Can someone explain how one letter can be sent on the 27th got to me on the 4th and another be sent on the 3rd and got to me through the worst snowstorm ever recorded on the 6th. Both are from Fleetwood -> New Jersey

written by  Arthur Crabtree on January 27, 2010 from Somerset, United States
from the travel blog: Arthur Crabtree's Travel Blog
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Before i can tell you that Story i have to tell another about a selfish mother.
After a random night out in Manchester i found a camera battery in my jeans pocket the following morning. I had probably found it on the floor somewhere and picked it up wanting to hand it in and forgot. I called around to places i may have gone but no one was missing a battery. Luckily it fitted my mum's camera, so i gave it to her. Then last week i bought a new camera to replace my 'very used' one, unluckily sony changed their batteries again so the spare one wouldn't fit in it. So i asked my mum if she would swap for my new one. BUT NO, she wouldn't. So i had to take my camera back to the shop in New York and buy a more expensive one. Now she wants to swap!!!!

In New York, whilst the girls were getting pampered in Macy's i did my new tourist thing and had a long walk from 33rd St down to 14st. Stopping at the Shake Shack for an amazing double cheeseburger and a cup of hot cider. Along the way i also popped into charity/thrift (for Americans) stores looking for a travel guide for South America. After 4 stores i had had no luck, but i now have guide books for my next trip: Fiji, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Central America. It was 5 books for a $1.

From there i wandered around Little Italy, Soho and Chinatown looking for a mascot for my little adventure. Then i met the girls went for a chinese and organised to go round to their flat tomorrow night after i pop up to Tiffanys' Grandma's place up in North Jersey.

written by  Arthur Crabtree on February 5, 2010 from New York, United States
from the travel blog: Arthur Crabtree's Travel Blog
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I was pretty lucky to get here as we had a white out on the drive to the aiport. It was an hr of wondering which would cause the accident first;
 1. Dads dangerous driving 
2.  Not being able to see much further than 10m in front of us.
3. Driving behind 4 snow trucks clearing the motorway.

 Then when I got to JFK I got moved to an earlier flight as my flighty was likely to be cancelled. So I had to run to the gate. Only 1 in 5 planes weren't cancelled.
 
Then I had one of the worst experiences i have ever had on a plane. Just before takeoff they decided the plane  needed deicing which meant it was sprayed with some red goo and scrapped the ice off. Which sounds ok unless your inside the plane at the time and given no warning.

I've been staying in an apartment 2blocks from copacabana beach, as the hostel I booked was in a bad neighbourhood and I'm getting a good deal with my landlady. Though I think knowing some Portuguese or Spanish would be of been useful.  got a bit sun burnt on my first day. Probaby as my skin needed to get used to the 50oC change in temp. 

At present I'm spending most of my time with my housemate jess and her tour group. We've done most of the sites now. I'm heading up to sugar loaf for the sunset tonight.
 
We've seen lots of amazing samba dancing and drumming in the random street parties. It's really strange watching thousands of ppl dancing in the rd with ambulances and buses trying to drive through. Last night I bumped into a group of manc uni lads and spent the evening drinking with them on the ipemema beach. 5km strech of beach 20 ppl deep. 

It has been pretty expensive in rio so I'm heading north to brazilia tonight on the overnight bus. I'll try and put some photos up soon.  
  

written by  Arthur Crabtree on February 11, 2010 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
from the travel blog: Arthur Crabtree's Travel Blog
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